Mark Thiessen vs the facts part MMMCLXXVII

Mark Thiessen claims that ideologically rigid left wing self described Conservatives purged moderate Arlen Specter from the party he joined after being purged from the Republican party

Last night two centrist Democratic incumbents failed to stave off challenges from the left in Democratic Senate primaries. Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter was defeated by left-wing challenger Rep. Joe Sestak. And Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln was forced into a runoff by her left-wing challenger Gov. Bill Halter.

But don't hold your breath waiting for commentators to decry these shameful efforts at the ideological purification of the Democratic party

via Steve Benen who noted the little error and the huge ones.

Note Halter is Lieutenant governor and that neither Halter nor Sestak is left wing (what is the chance of a lefty winning a statewide election in Arkansas in recent years?). This is on a Washington Post blog, where factual accuracy is optional. I'm sure Fred Hiatt thinks that Mark Thiessen has every right to his opinion that the Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas is the Governor. Don't hold your breath waiting for a correction (and get a screen shot).

Let's take up a collection and buy Thiessen a subscription to the Post

"Lt. Gov. Bill Halter"



Everyone makes mistakes (especially every conservative on the Post op-ed pages) but appealing to Pennsylvania for evidence is absolutely absurd. Voting for Sestak absolutely wasn't an ideological purge. According to the last Rasmussen poll Sestak had the support of 51% of self described conservative Democratic likely voters.

It can't be a left wing ideological purge if it is the will of self described Conservatives. Thiessen should know about this poll (it's his job not mine). It shows his argument is total utter nonsense. He claims that Conservatives are rigid left wing ideologues.

He is not at all interested in reality. Good thing the Post no longer has a reputation to damage. Once upon a time, Italians had great respect for US newspapers and, in particular, The Washington Post. Che vergogna (that's Italian for Shonda).

Also don't click the connect with facebook (beta). It wasn't alpha tested and it prevented me from reading the Washington Post. I don't want any jokes about how that means that facebook isn't all bad.

update: Arkansas too. Turns out Lincoln won Little Rock and Pine Bluff and was forced into a runoff by rural voters. Typical ideological liberal moderate purging rural Arkansans I guess.

I'm sure Thiessen has written something somewhere sometime which is consistent with reality. If anyone has an example, please put a link in comments.